Elpitha

[Entegy]

He hadn't recogized her? What, were they childhood friends from the same city?

[BorderWolf]

It's something like that.

[Butterscotch]

Interesting! ^-^

[zinovia]

Elpitha: Chapter 3: A Date and a Good Book

A/N: Here is the third chapter. A couple of new characters introduced here, and a little more info on Elpitha. If you’ve read much of anything of my writing, you may already know this. I like to drop hints.

Elpitha dangled a rag over the side of her bed playfully. Mikri snapped at the end, grabbing on and tugging with all her might. The pup pulled, her rear end in the air, her front paws clawing into the ground, in an effort to win the fight.

“Come on you little crap factory! You want this rag, go on and take it!” Elpitha laughed as she slowly pulled the rag further towards herself.

Within seconds, the pup was dangling in the air, growling slightly as she kept her grip on the rag.

“Look at that! I caught myself a little rat!” Elpitha laughed. “Come here you!”

Just as Elpitha reached to scoop Mikri up, a knock startled her. In her shock, she dropped the rag. Mikri fell with a clunk and a yelp.

“Sorry!” Elpitha whispered as she scampered to the door.

Mikri followed at Elpitha’s heels, jumping playfully. Elpitha opened the door to find Mary standing on her welcome mat. The puppy pawed at Mary’s legs before returning to her master.

“Oh! You got a puppy!” Mary said with a shy smile.

She was very soft spoken. Elpitha invited her in and closed the door. Mary was around the same height as Elpitha and wore a light blue dress. A long, dark braid fell down her back and a pair of glasses partially obscured a set of mild brown eyes. She stood some distance from Elpitha, and she seemed almost frightened. The puppy seemed to give her the courage to continue speaking.

“I’m afraid of dogs normally, but I’m not afraid of them when they’re little like this!” She said as Mikri chased her tail.

“Barley gave her to me.” Elpitha said with a shrug. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with the stupid thing, but I’m stuck with her now. Go on, dog, shoo! What a nuisance!”

Mary eyed Elpitha apprehensively. Mary had always been shy, but Elpitha almost scared her. She seemed so hard to approach. However, she had come for a reason, and it would be pointless to leave without completing her task. She took a small breath and stated her business.

“I know you’re always on the lookout for odd jobs, Elpitha, and I wanted to know if you would like a job helping out at the library today. I need help rearranging the books and dusting the books and bookshelves.”

“Sure, I’ll come, I guess.” Elpitha said. “Of course that will cut into my busy day of wandering aimlessly, staring into space, and taking care of the fur muff with legs that Barley stuck me with.”

“Oh good! It’s Monday, so the library’s closed and we can begin work at eleven.” Mary said awkwardly.

She wanted to laugh at the comment, but Elpitha had said it so seriously. What if it wasn’t a joke? Elpitha noticed the confused look on Mary’s face and smirked.

“Of course I’ll come.” She repeated.

Kai usually only spent his summers in Mineral Town. This year, however, he had decided to spend the entire year. He was considering possibly moving into Mineral Town permanently.

Kai leaned against the bulletin board in the town square with his trademark smile on his face. He stood up when Elpitha entered the town square and headed for the northern exit.

“Well hello there gorgeous! How are you this fine morning?” He said with a grin.

Elpitha sighed and stopped in front of him, only feet from the exit.

“I’m just fine, Kai. Yourself?” She replied in a voice of forced calm.

“I’d be a lot better if you’d finally give in and let me take you out one night. You know you’d have a great time. Stop being so stubborn!” He said, grin still plastered in place.

“I already told you that I don’t go on pity dates.” Elpitha replied, her patience waning fast.

“Pity date? Me? I would do no such thing.”

Kai reached out and gently touched Elpitha’s chin.

“Come on now, doll. What are you afraid of?”

Elpitha tried to leave, but Kai blocked the exit. She gave him a reproachful look.

“I’m on my way to the library for a job. You’re going to make me late, Kai.” She scolded.

“Then I suggest you accept my invitation quickly, or you may never make it.” He replied with a bigger grin.

“I’ll accept your head on a platter, you sun-tanned beach bum.” She thought.

Elpitha tried to get by once more, but it was useless.

“Fine! I’ll go! Just get out of my way.” She sighed finally.

“There now. Was that so hard? You won’t regret it!” He said. “And don’t give me that look like I’m the big bad wolf. It’s not like I put a gun to your head!”

Elpitha wanted to put her boot to his head, but he was too tall. She turned to leave, but Kai grabbed her hand.

“Tomorrow night at eight o’clock.” He laughed, giving her hand a squeeze. “Off you go to grandma’s house, Little Red Riding Hood! Such lovely hands!”

With a smirk he released her.

“The better to choke you with, my dear!” Elpitha thought as she finally left. “Little Red Riding Hood?! This from the bandana bandit!”

Kai couldn’t help but laugh as Elpitha left. He always got a thrill from his conversations with her.

“So much trouble to act so cold. Oh, if only I could read that complex mind of yours, Elpitha! You’ll give in soon enough!” He thought with the old grin back in place. “You’re not fooling anyone with that act of yours. I know you want to give in!”

Elpitha finally placed the last book on its shelf. She had been in charge of the second floor of the library while Mary worked on the first floor. It had been hard work, but the generous pay that Mary offered was well worth it. It would get Elpitha by for a while.

Of all the various residents in Mineral Town, Mary was one of the few that Elpitha didn’t mind. Mary was quiet, considerate, and shy. Somehow this made Elpitha feel comfortable around her. Perhaps it was the fact that Mary was so shy around Elpitha, that it was difficult to feel threatened or nervous around her. Whatever the reason, it made for excellent working conditions.

It was as she headed for the stairway that Elpitha stumbled across a book thrown in the corner. She picked it up and read the writing on the cover which was written in spidery handwriting.

“Mary’s Story Book”

Elpitha understood immediately that this was a book of Mary’s writing. It was obvious that she had shown it to very few, if any, people, and that Mary probably did not want it found. It was a private book and it should be left where it was. Therefore, Elpitha immediately sat in the same corner and began to read.

There were science fiction stories and dramatic stories. There were sad stories and humorous ones. Each page contained an intricately woven tale that was obviously written with care and talent. Elpitha found herself lost in each one. She lost track of time sitting in that corner with the book in her lap. Finally she reached the last story. It was a love story, and Elpitha dove into it as she had with the others.

“He was a man like no other.” Elpitha read to herself. “An Adonis of a man who spoke little and let his actions speak for him. I knew no other man existed. His eyes were grey like the sky during a storm. Hearing his name made my heart skip a beat. Gray, like his eyes. Gray like his gaze that made me melt every time it found me.”

Elpitha stared at the page. Gray? Saibara’s Gray? She compared the Gray she knew with the one on the page in front of her and it was just too much. She broke into a peal of laughter that echoed off the walls. Elpitha closed the book, but when she looked up, she found Mary, her eyes wide with shock, standing before her.

“My…My…I’ve been looking for it…where did you..” Mary stuttered, snatching the book out of Elpitha’s hands.

Elpitha stood up.

“I really enjoyed it! You’re an amazing writer. You should try and get those published.” She said.

“Oh no, I couldn’t! I..you enjoyed them?” Mary asked quietly.

“Yeah! They were great.” Elpitha said with a grin.

“Thanks…do you write?” Mary asked shyly.

“Me? Here and there. It’s a hobby, I guess, but I don’t do it very often. I do mainly poetry at this point. I haven’t written a story in years!”

Mary seemed to gain more confidence.

“Can I see? I mean…you did see mine.”

Elpitha laughed.

“Sure. I’ll see what I can find. I suppose it’s only fair. Maybe we can compare sometime.”

“I’d like that.” Mary said with a smile.

Mikri was pawing at the door when Elpitha finally made it home. Elpitha scooped her up as she made her way inside. She sat down on her bed, contemplating her day. Then she remembered.

“I have a date with Kai tomorrow!” she said to Mikri, holding the puppy up in front of her.

Mikri wagged her tail and tried to lick Elpitha’s face.

“How am I going to get out of this one, Mikri?” Elpitha sighed.

She fell back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Another day to look forward to.

Until next time…

[zinovia]

Elpitha: Chapter 4: Babysitting

A/N: Here is chapter four! Unfortunately it’s a long chapter again. I tend to assume that most readers don’t want to deal with a long story/chapter. Anyways, Jack, Barley, and May make another appearance. A little more about Elpitha, and a few more hints dropped. Hope you like it.

Elpitha was leaning on a fence, watching as Mikri played with a brown pup. Jack was in his fields, attempting to clear some of the mess that had accumulated over the years. The two puppies dashed towards the edge of Jack’s farmland, playing dangerously close to the edge of the river that bordered the southern part of the land. Elpitha took a few anxious steps forward as her eyes followed the pups. Jack looked up to see what had made Elpitha move and then whistled.

“Spike!” He called, standing up.

Spike pricked up his ears and ran towards his master. Mikri followed closely, and both pups greeted Jack in the fields. Elpitha walked over and picked up her puppy as Jack picked up his.

“So what do you think of my farm?” Jack asked.

Elpitha looked around the farm, taking in every aspect of it separately and then putting the pieces together as a whole. There was a dilapidated shack in the upper left hand corner in which Jack lived. A barn and a stable occupied the upper right corner, and in the middle was the entrance to the farm. There were a pond and a chicken coop on the left side of the land and in the center, occupying much of the land, were the fields. The fields were a mess. Tree stumps and boulders littered a sea of grasses which had grown almost as tall as Jack. It looked as if a forest had thrown up in someone’s hair.

“I’ll tell you what I see.” Elpitha said thoughtfully. “I see a work in progress.”

Jack laughed. “Well that’s very nice of you! It may take me a while, but I’ll get this farm running no matter what! So what about you? I heard you’re going out with Kai tonight!”

Elpitha’s face fell. “Who told you that?”

“Manna.” Jack replied with a grin.

“Oh.”

Jack laughed once more. “So how long have you two been going out?”

“What?! I’ve never…” Elpitha began, but the smirk on Jack’s face stopped her. “Right. He trapped me into this. I really don’t know what he expects from me.”

“Don’t you think you’ll have a good time?”

Elpitha shrugged. “I guess I’ll have a good enough time.”

“You don’t like him?”

Another shrug. “He’s a nice enough guy, I guess. He’s gone out with all the girls at one time or another. I think it got him that I refused all this time. I’m not interested in being a checkmark on his list. He’ll probably leave me alone afterwards though, so I guess that’s a good thing.”

Jack folded his arms and looked at her. “Something about you makes me comfortable around you. I can’t put my finger on it! I was so nervous about meeting everyone here. You know the old stereotype. Here comes the city boy to take over this farm. No experience whatsoever. A college grad and…”

“A fireman’s son.” Elpitha finished.

Jack’s smile faded. “How did you know that?”

“I…you…told me. At Barley’s, don’t you remember?”

“I don’t remember, really, but I guess I must have, huh?” Jack laughed, shrugging it off. “You never told me what made you come here.”

“It’s not exactly my favorite story.” Elpitha said quietly.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.” Jack said apologetically.

“It’s fine. Let’s just say…” Elpitha began. She took a breath, and her eyes were no longer focused on Jack. She stared into the distance somewhere over his shoulder. “Let’s just say I wanted to find peace and I found it. It’s very easy to lose yourself in this quiet place.”

Jack frowned slightly. “Were you searching for long?”

Elpitha’s eyes snapped back into focus. “Long enough. Is that a long time?” She asked rather sharply.

Jack didn’t answer. Instead he cocked his head slightly and thought for a bit. “You remind me of someone.” He said simply.

“Do I now?”

This conversation was not going in the right direction. This was stupid. The last thing that Elpitha wanted was for Jack to realize why she “reminded him of someone.” Despite this fact, however, there she was, talking to him, giving him clues and constantly reminding him. He was the past. She had spent five years running from that very thing and now he had arrived to spoil it all, and all she could do was help it along. What was she doing? Why did everything tainted by the past hurt her and make her want to run, and yet she felt comfortable around this guy? She knew him, but he didn’t know her. He was the past, but in a different form. He didn’t hurt her.

“Yeah, it’s strange!” Jack replied. “The same and yet completely different! It’s almost as if…”

“I better go. I need to get ready for tonight.” And with that, Elpitha left.

“Get ready for the tonight?!” She thought to herself. “Yeah right, maybe if I start now I can drown myself by eight!”

Elpitha turned the corner and headed towards her house. She stopped suddenly as something collided with her. It was a small something in a red dress and pigtails. May had been running down the road as fast as she could, and there were tears in her eyes. Elpitha looked around desperately. Weren’t there any other adults around? Elpitha hated to see a person cry. She never quite knew what to do, and she certainly did not know what to do with May. She grabbed May’s hand as the child finally managed to disentangle herself from Elpitha. May tried to pull her hand back and Elpitha instinctively tightened her grip. May struggled to get away, unable to speak amid her grunts mixed with sobs. Elpitha knew that it was up to her to calm May down, and that this was potentially something serious. She knelt down and gently took May’s other hand, which only served to aggravate the girl even more. She pulled with all her might to get away.

“Shhhhh. Come on now.” Elpitha said calmly. “What is it? What happened?”

May answered by struggling even more violently. The floodgates were open now and her face was drenched in tears. Elpitha gently pulled her forward, and although May put up a good fight, managed to rise with a squirming little girl in her arms.

“Come on now, stop it. Calm down, you’re going to hurt yourself.” Elpitha said, trying to shift May into a comfortable position in her arms. What was the best thing to do? “Shhhh. It’s OK sweetie, I’ll take you home.”

That did not appear to be the correct thing to say. At those words May’s sobs increased and she struggled so violently that Elpitha was afraid that she would drop her.

“OK! OK! Calm down! I won’t take you home. You can come to my house instead. Is that better?” Elpitha asked.

May stopped struggling. “No! Put me down, leave me alone! I just…leave me alone!” She cried, and began struggling worse than ever.

Elpitha had had it. She didn’t have time to play nice with a little brat that wouldn’t be calmed. She had things to do and a date with the bandana bandit to worry about. Getting a firm grip on May at last, Elpitha looked her straight in the eyes. Such a look would have made most of the adults in Mineral Town nervous. May nearly soiled herself.

“No.” Elpitha said sternly. “That is not an option. I gave you your choices. Decide.”

May stopped struggling for good this time. Tears continued to slowly drop from her dark eyes as she looked at Elpitha. “But I don’t want to…”

“Decide.” Elpitha repeated in a softer tone. When May didn’t respond, she said: “I won’t let you go until you’re calm. Now either you’re coming with me, or going to the ranch. If you won’t answer me, then I guess I have no choice but to take you home.”

“I’ll come with you.” May said quietly, and before Elpitha knew what was happening, she had wrapped her arms around Elpitha’s neck and put her head on Elpitha’s shoulder.

Elpitha nearly dropped her in shock. When May had been kicking, fighting, and struggling like a little monster, Elpitha had no problem holding her. For a moment she had a horrible urge to drop May and walk away as if she had never seen the child before in her life. Mikri had spent this whole time sitting by her master’s heel quietly. Perhaps she could tell that Elpitha was not in a playful mood. The puppy followed Elpitha and May into the house.

May sat on Elpitha’s bed, sniffling while Elpitha rummaged around her kitchen. What did children eat? For a moment, Elpitha eyed Mikri’s box of dog biscuits. A reproachful bark from below made Elpitha turn.

“Oh, calm down you little runt! Your biscuits are safe!” Elpitha said to Mikri, who wagged her tail in reply.

Elpitha needed a way to calm May down. If only there was some sort of scapegoat around to do the work for her. Mikri got Elpitha’s attention once more and Elpitha replied with an evil grin. She had found her scapegoat.

“Oooohhh Maaay, wouldn’t you like to play with the nice puppy?” Elpitha sang as she dragged Mikri over.

As upset as May was, it was just too much of a temptation to succumb to Mikri’s playfulness, and before long May was smiling and giggling. Elpitha was relieved to see that she would be able to take May home soon, and she didn’t even have to waste any dog biscuits!

“Feeling better?” Elpitha asked as she sat down next to May.

May smiled in reply. “Elpitha…does your mommy write back when you write her?” She asked suddenly.

Elpitha wasn’t expecting the question. “No.” She replied simply. Well, it wasn’t a lie after all.

This seemed to give May more confidence to speak. She edged a little closer to Elpitha and asked: “Does it make you sad?”

“Sometimes.” Elpitha replied once more.

“Me too.” May said with a small smile. “I asked my grandpa if I could call my mommy today. He said it wasn’t a good idea. I asked him why and he said I always get hurt and it was better for me not to. I…I….I didn’t believe him. I ran away and used the payphone at Doug’s. My mommy…she said I should stay with grandpa and that she didn’t have time to talk to me. She…hung up before I could say goodbye. I’m sorry I hit you and yelled at you…”

“It’s OK. I know you were just upset.”

“Elpitha?”

“What is it?”

“Do you think anyone would care if I disappeared one day?”

Elpitha narrowed her eyes and knelt down in front of May. “What do you mean, honey?” She asked quietly.

A knock at the door interrupted them. It was Barley and he was trembling with worry. Tears were forming in his eyes.

“Elpitha, please tell me you know where May is! We fought and then she ran off. Doug said she called her mother from his payphone and was very upset when she left. I can’t find her, and I’m worried something may have happened to her!” Barley cried.

Suddenly May ran into his arms. “Grandpa! I’m sorry I ran away. I didn’t want to make you worry.”

Barley shook Elpitha’s hand. “I’m in your debt once more.” He said sincerely. “If there’s anything at all that I can ever do for you, please let me know.”

“It’s fine. She didn’t want to go home so I brought her here.” Elpitha said.

“Thanks Elpitha! Can I come over again some time?” May asked.

“Anytime you want sweetie.” Elpitha replied with a grin. Well, she always had plenty of dog biscuits on hand if need be.

Eight o’clock rolled around quicker than Elpitha expected, and she sat on her bed dreading the knock on her door which meant she would have to leave for her date with Kai. She wore a simple outfit, a black skirt with a blue top. Some women dressed in fall colors. Elpitha dressed like a bruise.

As she waited, Elpitha thought about her day. She had been forced back into her past twice that day by two different people and yet she was still alive. Actually more amazing was the fact that so were they. She wondered where she would be if things had been different. She wondered what her life would have been like if she had never…

There was a knock at her door. Time to go…

Until next time…

[Butterscotch]

That was a good chapter! I laughed at the part with the dog biscuits! ^-^

BTW, how do you pronounce Elpitha?

[BorderWolf]

Great chapter Zin! And I agree with Butter, how do you pronounce Elpitha?

[zinovia]

hmm..it's sort of hard to explain because the name has a letter in it that doesn't exist in the english alphabet, but I'll try my best.

El-pi-tha

El is pronounced like the way it is in spanish, or if you were to simply say the letter "L." or like in eldorado, or in elephantthat's the first syllable.

pi is pronounced like "pee" or "pea"

tha...here's the tough part. the "th" in Elpitha is my best way of describing how to prounounce the greek letter delta in english. see, whether you've noticed it or not, there is actually two ways to prounounce "th" in the english language. one way is the way you pronounce it in the word "there" and the other way is the way you prounounce it in the word "thing." the delta way of saying it is the way you pronounce "th" in "there" or in "that." (the way of pronouncing "th" in "thing" is the letter theta in greek)

if you don't notice the difference in "th" sounds, then try saying "there" with the "th" sounding like it does in "thing", or try saying the word "think" pronouncing "th" like you do in "there." it should sound weird.

so there you have it.

El-pee-tha. the accent or syllable to stress, is the middle one (pee).

[Butterscotch]

Thanks Zin! ^^

[Entegy]

I think why makes me laugh so much is because Elpitha's personality is so much like zin's.

[BorderWolf]

Thanks Zin. I had a feeling that I had the first and second parts of her name right.

[zinovia]

Elpitha: Chapter 5: The Date

A/N: As requested, here is the date! A couple new characters introduced, a couple more hints dropped. Same old, same old. Enjoy!

Elpitha stood up and slowly made her way to the door. After taking a deep breath, she managed to bring herself to open the door. There was no one there. She glanced around the path leading up to her house and up and down her front yard, but no one was there. As she turned to close the door she heard a stifled giggle from one of her bushes. Stu was at it again. Elpitha was well used to Stu’s pranks by now. With a sigh, she wandered back into her house.

“No wonder some animals eat their young.” She thought.

A few minutes passed and there was another knock at the door. This time it was really time to go. Elpitha again wandered to the door, took a deep breath, and opened it. Once again, there was no one there. Another fit of stifled giggles escaped the bush. Elpitha rolled her eyes and went back inside. It wasn’t long before there was a third knock. She was less than surprised to find no one at her door. Her temper began to rise as another set of giggles met her ears. She went back inside and slammed her door.

Kai hummed to himself as he approached the front door. Tonight was the night that he would sweep that distant Elpitha off of her feet. Kai was not a guy to be brushed off. He had an unforgettable night planned, and it began with the bouquet of wildflowers that he held in his hand. He had noticed that Elpitha had developed a liking to the wildflowers that grew around the area, and he had made a point of gathering the prettiest ones he could find for tonight’s date. Before knocking on her door, Kai pulled some breath spray out of his pocket and sprayed it into his mouth. Then he smoothed his bandana and rapped playfully on the door. Kai turned his back on the door while he waited, taking in the scenery. He made a mental note of the path nearby that lead to the woods. Excellent make-out possibilities there. Kai smirked as he heard the door creak open behind him.

“Well hello there, sexy. Are you ready for a night you’ll never forget?” Kai said, turning around. He held out the flowers and reached out to tickle Elpitha’s chin. He was surprised to find himself with a fistful of beard.

Kai jumped back in shock, nearly ripping out a handful of the beard in the process. Saibara’s cold dark eyes bored into him as he stared Kai down with his patented “look of death,” or so Elpitha called it.

“S…s…sexy?” Kai stuttered, not fully recovered.

“You’re not my type.” Saibara said gruffly. “I don’t date pirates.” Saibara glanced at Kai’s bandana and let out a scoff. “Elpitha’s house is next door. You should know that by now.”

“Oh! Well it was dark and I was a little distracted! Wait…how did you know?” Kai began.

“Manna.”

“oh.”

Kai turned and headed for Elpitha’s house. As he left he heard the door behind him slam and Saibara grumble his version of “goodbye.”

“Bathed in aftershave! How I’ll get that stench out of my beard now, I’ll never know. God forbid he takes a real shower!”

Kai wandered up the steps to Elpitha’s door, this time making sure that he had the right address. He glanced around nervously before rapping lightly on the door. It wasn’t long before the door opened.

“Hello Se…” Kai began, but that’s as far as he got before a bucket of cold water was thrown on him.

“Take that you little birth control ad!” Elpitha said as she threw down her bucket. Then she saw who it was. “Kai! Oh my goodness! Come in, I’ll get you a towel!”

“It’s OK.” Kai said. “Do you mind stopping by my place so I can get changed?”

It didn’t take long for Kai to change. He grabbed his spare bandana, and refrained from splashing on anymore aftershave.

“So where are we going?” Elpitha asked as they wandered down the road leading to Duke and Manna’s winery.

“Doug’s.” Kai replied. “I figured we could get something to eat and then take it from there.”

“Take it from there? Am I going to have to use my pepper spray?” Elpitha asked with a smirk.

Kai laughed. “No, but I like the way you’re thinking.”

Ann greeted them as they entered the inn. Kai went to find a table and she pulled Elpitha aside as soon as she got the chance.

“Aha! Well now missy, it looks like Kai finally won you over, eh?” Ann said with a wink. “Kai’s great, isn’t he? We went out a couple of years ago, but we both lost interest. You two make a great couple!” Ann gave Elpitha a playful shove.

“Uh, right. Actually he sort of forced me into this. I figure he’ll lose interest now and maybe he’ll leave me alone.” Elpitha said with a shrug.

“Oh come on! What’s wrong with Kai?” Ann asked, her hands on her hips.

“Nothing. I just don’t think he’s really interested, that’s all.” Elpitha replied.

“That’s what you think! He’s only been after you for the past two and a half years, you crazy thing you!” Ann cried, grabbing Elpitha by the shoulders and giving her a playful shake. “And don’t you give me that look either. These things don’t just happen by accident. I think you may just have a little interest in Kai yourself!”

Elpitha smiled the little half-smile which was her trademark. “Well since you say so, it must be true.”

Ann laughed. “Oh go on, get out of here, you! Looks like Kai’s found a table.”

As Elpitha headed towards Kai, Doug stepped out from behind the counter.

“Well well! Elpitha! I see you have a gentleman friend with you tonight, eh?” He gave Elpitha a pat on the back which almost sent her flying into the table next to her. “Good for you! It’s about time you found yourself a man! Don’t you worry! Don’t even bother with the menus tonight! I’ll fix you up a special dinner in honor of the occasion.”

“That’s really not nec…” Elpitha began, but Doug had already disappeared into the kitchen.

Elpitha sat staring at the meal in front of her. Her fork was in her hand, and yet she didn’t want to eat it. Oddly enough, however, she did enjoy stabbing it with her fork. It was a heart-shaped meatloaf colored red with tomato sauce. Her pasta was cut into little cupid shapes, and, of course, they shared a drink with two pink straws. The breadsticks were in the shape of arrows piercing hearts, and to make matters worse, every time Elpitha managed to bring herself to take a bite, Doug would wander by, winking and giving two thumbs up. Elpitha wanted to throw something at him. Unfortunately, she didn’t want to start a food fight and Kai was too heavy to lift. After the meal, Kai suggested that they take a stroll on the beach. Elpitha was going to refuse, but, unfortunately for her, Ann happened to be clearing the dishes at the time and intervened.

“Can I borrow her for a second, Kai?” Ann giggled, grabbing Elpitha by the wrist and dragging her away. Ann led the way to her bedroom and closed the door. “Now what is wrong with you?” She asked, swatting Elpitha with her dish towel.

“I…what? Nothing!” Elpitha replied defensively.

“Nothing, huh? Well guess what, honey? I’m going to do you a big favor!” Ann said with an evil grin.

“What? No, that’s OK! I don’t need a fa..”

Ann dragged Elpitha back to where Kai was sitting. “She’d love to!” Ann cried happily, shoving them both out the door. “Have fun you two!”

Even Elpitha had to admit that it was rather nice and very relaxing sitting on the sand, just out of reach of the lapping waves of the water. She stared up at the stars and imagined what it would be like to fly among them. Kai brought her back down to earth.

“Why don’t you like me?” He asked suddenly.

“I never said I didn’t like you.” She replied nonchalantly.

“You act as if you hate me.” He said.

“I don’t hate you.” She replied once more.

Kai turned to face Elpitha only to find her staring up at the sky. “Elpitha, look at me for a minute. Please?”

Elpitha turned around and looked at him. As was her custom, she didn’t quite meet his eyes. “What is it?” She asked.

“Is it really so terrible to be here with me right now?” He asked.

“Not at all.”

“It just doesn’t seem like you’re having a very good time.”

“If you’re waiting for a song and dance out of me every time I like something, you’ll be waiting a long time. This is just the way I am.”

Kai smirked. “Every time you like something? Does that mean you like me?”

“It’s about time I headed home, I think.” Elpitha said calmly.

“OK then. I’ll get it out of you sooner or later, don’t you worry, sweetheart. You just wait until…are you looking me in the nose? Is there something on my nose?”

“What? No! I’m sorry, that’s just something I do.”

“Yeah, well you should learn to look a person in the eyes…”

“It’s getting really late.”

“Alright. But before we go, I have one more question for you.”

Elpitha prepared herself for the worst. “What is it?”

“Is it true that you call me the Bandana Bandit?” Kai asked with a slight frown.

Elpitha was caught off guard, and before she could stop herself, she burst out laughing. “Remind me to kill Manna next time I see her.”

“I will you little trouble maker.” Kai said with a smirk.

“Trouble maker? Who are you calling a trouble maker? Look me in the nose and say that!” Elpitha cried, and it was Kai’s turn to burst out laughing.

Later on, Elpitha and Kai were outside of Elpitha’s house. Mikri dashed around them playfully in the front yard.

“This was fun.” Elpitha said simply.

“I enjoyed myself. I hope you really did too.” Kai said.

There was a moment of awkward silence, and then Kai leaned in towards Elpitha suddenly. Elpitha was taken by surprise, but reacted quickly. She bent down and picked up Mikri, pretending not to notice Kai’s attempt to kiss her. However, she misjudged the amount of time it would take for Kai to realize that she wasn’t there. When she rose, Kai was still advancing and the only thing she could think to do was hold up Mikri. Kai jumped back in shock once more.

“Not Saibara again!” Kai cried in reaction to Mikri’s fur meeting his lips. When he opened his eyes, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Few, I thought I had the wrong house again!” Then he realized that he had just kissed Mikri’s rear end. “Holy crap!”

After that Kai went home, although he warned Elpitha that he would get her on another date no matter how many times she refused. Elpitha was on her bed later that night staring at the ceiling. Kai didn’t really like her. If he really knew what she was like he wouldn’t. If he knew her, what she used to be and what she had become, he would stay far away. Elpitha had learned many things growing up. She understood now that some people were just meant to be alone. What was Kai trying to do? Would she let him?

That night Elpitha had another dream…

Until Next Time…

[Entegy]

XD

[Butterscotch]

Great chapter! ^^

[BorderWolf]

Great chapter Zin!